


Hoarder

by redyarns



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Oblivious Hiccup, Podfic Welcome, Wanderlust, a Coming of Age story, a story about hiccup and toothless and a buttload of other dragons, also includes a lot of dragons, and go on a long journey together, because hiccup is dumb and clumsy and too good hearted, begins during the first movie, but he's just a scrawny teenager lmao, everyone's scared of hiccup but he doesn't know why, he's super oblivious, hiccup and toothless are best friends and love each other very much, his rumors make him to be a beefy and bulky man who subdues dragons, in which dragons follow hiccup and will protect him, in which hiccup also doesn't hate berk, in which hiccup and toothless run away, like seriously, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-06-25 09:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19743205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redyarns/pseuds/redyarns
Summary: "They say he's tamed two Night Furies, and they follow him around like they're his shadows, blastin' anyone who's doin' him wrong - but that ain't all he's done. Dragons, dozens of 'em, all from around the world, they protect him like he's their damn king, and rumors even say that no one's ever defied him and came out alive. He's a dangerous work, that man. So whatever you do, avoid 'im and hide, and pray he doesn't find ye."***In which Hiccup's been missing for six years, the war against the dragons rages on, and rumors of a dark and faceless man who has an army of dragons reaches the ears of Berk.





	1. Chapter 1

It was almost laughably easy to escape Berk in the middle of the afternoon with a jet-black dragon who was insistent on diving down every few seconds to try and catch one of the pesky birds that taunted them on the ocean’s surface. 

Packing the essentials had been easy enough, and hey, Hiccup had even been nice enough to leave a note! Maybe not _that_ nice, because he had been in a hurry, and all that was written on the scrap parchment he left on his desk was a few words explaining that he’d be back someday. 

Someday, Hiccup thought to himself as he looked over his shoulder to peek at the shrinking island of Berk, but definitely not for a while. For now, he and Toothless needed to leave, find someplace safe, and start formulating a plan how to bring peace between dragons and humans. 

Well, technically _Hiccup_ would make the plan, as Toothless could only respond in non-human noises, but whatever, same thing. 

“Bud, this is probably the stupidest and craziest idea I’ve ever had,” Hiccup said, leaning down and giving scratches behind Toothless’ ear flap, just how he liked it. 

The dragon gave a rumbling coo of agreement. Or it could’ve meant _I’m hungry_ , judging by how the Night Fury would sometimes eye the vast and blurry ocean below them with a hungry glint in his eyes and his tongue lolling out. 

“Right,” Hiccup said, and suddenly, there was a hard lump in his throat that turned into a boulder in his stomach when he swallowed. “ _Right._ ” 

The full consequences of this whole - quite frankly for a lack of better work - fiasco was sinking into him, except it was more like claws digging into his skin and bleeding into his brain all the things that were really and truly happening right now. Berk may not have been the happiest or most supportive home, but it was still that - _home._ He’d been born and raised there, and he was leaving it all behind, the smell of the forge and melting metal, the peers his age that he so admired, his _father._

And most of all, above that, he had a very scary and very real realization that he was just a boy. A very scrawny, weak, and not particularly good at handling weapons boy. For a split second he hesitated, his sweaty hands clutching onto the saddle, and he squeezed his legs ever so slightly. Maybe this really wasn’t the best idea - after all, he was probably either branded as a traitor or being searched for, so being in public wasn’t going to be good. That meant he had no guaranteed way of making sure he and Toothless stayed alive, safe, protected. 

Maybe they should turn back, maybe there was still time and his dad hadn’t seen the note of farewell yet - 

Toothless let out a soothing croon, and he tipped his head up to let his ear flaps slap Hiccup on the sides of his face gently. The rumbles of Toothless’ purr relaxed Hiccup’s muscles, and he sagged on the saddle, running a hand down his face and then sighing with fondness, his worries melting away. It was strange how such a simple action, without words even, could smooth over his doubts so quickly. 

The boy patted Toothless’ head and said, “you’re right. Of course you’re right - everything’s going to be fine.” 

Toothless let out a chirp of agreement, and just like that, Hiccup crouched down, breathed, and didn’t look back. 

It actually wasn’t too bad of a flight - his legs had gone numb after about three hours without stopping, and his face was numb from the wind blowing directly at him, but the breeze wasn’t strong enough to stop him from jotting down a few notes in his journal. He took notice of every island or patch of land they passed, already making mental reminders to check them out later. 

By the time it was sunset, Hiccup knew they were far out of reach of Berk’s hands, so he gave Toothless a small pat on the back of his neck and said, “I think that’s enough for now, bud. Don’t want to overwork yourself. Look,” he pointed. “There’s a nice island right there - why don’t we settle down for the night?” 

When Toothless made an eager noise of confirmation, Hiccup knew he had made the right call - it was getting pretty obvious that they both were tired and drained from the ride, and with that, they circled over the tree tops and hills of the island to make sure no one was inhabiting it before landing neatly on the shore. 

“Not too bad,” Hiccup said as he hopped off of the saddle and gave Toothless a brief scratch behind the ears. “Could be worse, huh? Alright, bud, think you can help me set up?” 

Toothless gave his rider a look that could only be described as _how dare you doubt me_ before the dragon waddled off in search of what Hiccup hoped was wood for a fire. 

As Toothless lumbered into the forest and a series of snapping noises followed shortly after, Hiccup began to dig through his basket of supplies and quickly smoothed out a large folded up piece of paper. 

There was a loud noise as Toothless dropped a mouthful of broken off twigs and branches right beside Hiccup’s legs, and after nudging the wood together into a more huddled pile, Toothless then opened his jaws and let out a small blast of fire that allowed the branches to begin to burn. 

The dragon cooed at the sight and then leaned down to sniff curiously at the paper that Hiccup was painstakingly beginning to draw on. 

“It’s a map,” Hiccup said, patting Toothless on the snout. “You know, for us to look back on. I think going around and trying to bring peace between dragons and humans is going to be awesome, but we need a game plan. I think we should first go around and explore some of the more less, uh… kill-on-sight-y towns and see if we have more luck with them than Berk.” 

Toothless let out a warm huff of air out of his nostrils before leaning down and then giving Hiccup a small lick on the side of his face. The boy groaned and grimaced when he touched his cheek and pulled away with strings of saliva attached to his fingers. “Thor, that’s gross - go away you big baby, I’ll finish this up while you go hunt for something.”

The dragon merely whacked Hiccup up his head with an ear flap before once again lumbering away, his pleased purrs betraying his happy mood. Hiccup watched him go with a fond smile, and said, “and not deer!” Right as Toothless disappeared into the trees once more. 

Hiccup finished up the map quickly enough, though there were very obvious bald spots on the parchment where they hadn’t reached yet. Still, it looked far better than the limited maps Berk had, especially since no one even bothered to go beyond the borders of their seas. Just the thought of Berk was enough to have him tense, his shoulders hunching and his brows furrowing as he rolled up the map and sealed it with a piece of twine. He felt guilty - which was ridiculous, considering the fact that nothing was his fault in regards to the dragon war, and the village hadn’t exactly been the nicest to him. But he loved his dad, who he knew loved him back, but had a hard time expressing it other than with worry or anger. 

“I’m sorry,” Hiccup said out loud into the clear night sky, tipping up his chin and staring at the half-moon that glowed lazily. Far away, he and his father were looking at the same sky, and Hiccup prayed that his dad wouldn’t worry too much - or worse, try and come looking for him. Berk was still blinded by its rage, its people all too eager to spill blood, and he could still remember the mind-numbing panic he had when he realized that if he didn’t escape with Toothless and soon, then his best friend could very well be killed by the hands of his father. 

Hiccup drew his knees up to his chest and shivered despite the fact that they were in a far warmer area and the night wasn’t chilly. How were going to do this? How could one small, scrawny boy and a goofy dragon somehow bring an end to the fiercest war man has ever faced? At this moment, Hiccup felt a strike of fear in his chest. Sure, he had befriended Toothless, but that blossomed out of an unfortunate event and their craving to have companionship. What if he couldn’t do this? What if Hiccup couldn’t bring peace, and everyone, dragons and vikings, kept dying because of his mistakes? 

There was a low crooning noise in his ear, and the boy blinked as he looked up to see Toothless standing over him with two large rabbits in his jaws and his pupils dilated with worry. 

“Hey, bud,” Hiccup said quietly, reaching up to rub a hand against smooth, warm scales. The dragon cooed, and Hiccup relaxed, because at this moment, under the moonlight, it was almost painfully reminiscent of how they first connected as equals. Curiosity had been what made them reach out, but when they finally touched, trust sparked between them, and a softer flame that Hiccup now realizes as love. 

Toothless chirped and then dropped the rabbits before reaching his snout out to sniff delicately at Hiccup’s hand, licking it and then giving a gummy smile while bouncing up and down in what Hiccup knew meant _I love you!_

He couldn’t help but laugh as he stood up and gave the Night Fury a good scratch behind the ears. “Yeah, I love you too, you overgrown lizard. Come on, I know you’re hungry, you haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

Toothless settled down in the sand, curling around the fire and nudging Hiccup with his nose until the boy rolled his eyes and settled down against the dragon. Immediately, Toothless’ wing unfolded and wrapped around Hiccup like some fireproof blanket, and his tail curled protectively around his feet. 

“Here you go,” Hiccup said, making sure to skin the rabbit before tossing it to an eager Toothless. Hiccup grimaced at the blood on his hands, but with a quick dip into the bucket of sea water he had collected, it all washed off and dyed the water a murky red. 

For a few minutes, there was nothing but the sound of the crackling fire and Toothless gnawing at his rabbit. Hiccup, for the first time in his life, felt completely at ease. Sure, back on Berk he and Toothless had spent time together in the grove, but that was always with a small sense of fear at the back of his head. Even though they had been far away from the prying eyes and ears of the village, he had still been scared that someone would follow him or wander too close and discover his secret. Losing Toothless would be like losing his happiness - the dragon was Hiccup’s best friend in the whole world, and no matter what, he could _not_ let anyone take him. 

But here, on this isolated island, with the moon shining her light on them, there was no danger of that. For once, Hiccup could lie against Toothless, his shoulders not tense and his brows unfurled while Toothless made noises of satisfaction and purrs that vibrated against Hiccup’s back. 

“This is going to be hard,” Hiccup said out loud, watching as a piece of his rabbet blackened a little too much over the heat of the fire. “ _Really_ hard.”

Toothless chuffed. 

Hiccup smiled and tossed the rest of his rabbit to Toothless, who ate it eagerly and then gave another gummy smile at his rider. “But at least we’re together, right?” 

Toothless blinked slowly as if to say yes, and after swiping his tongue across his lips he settled his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. 

Hiccup laughed and settled down, looking up at the inky sky and smiling at the stars. There was no guarantee that this would work, even less of a guarantee that they’d live long enough for peace to become settled - but at least through it all, Hiccup can confidently say that he is loved. 

**XxXxXxXxXxX**

Hiccup woke up to being nearly suffocated as paws grabbed at him and wings fully cloaked him like a cocoon. The boy gasped at such a rude awakening, and he was about to bat at Toothless’ arms and ask what was going on, only to be stopped when the dragon in question let out an ear-piercing roar, not unlike the one he had given when Hiccup had cut him free. 

By now, though, Hiccup knew what it was - a warning, a scream to _stay away._

Hiccup froze when another shriek filled the air, this one longer and not as loud as Toothless’. _Dragon._ And not just any dragon, because that roar was far too familiar, and Hiccup had spent enough years obsessing over dragons to realize that _it was just like Toothless’._

“Toothless - bud - c’mon, you gotta - _argh!_ ” Hiccup finally managed to shove himself away from Toothless’ grip and fell unceremoniously into the sand, getting more than a few grains into his mouth. He spit them out, grimacing at the crunchiness between his teeth, before lifting his head and dropping open his jaw at the sight before him. 

Toothless was on his feet and his spine flaps upright, like he was bristling. He stood over Hiccup protectively, wings spread wide to make himself look bigger, and the smell of something burning told Hiccup that he was ready to shoot a plasma blast at a moment’s notice. The Night Fury before them - Hiccup had been right, after all, no other dragon could make such a roar - was crouched low on the sand, the sun reflecting off of its scales and giving off an almost purple-ish sheen. Dark green irises held narrowed slits of pupils, and it let out a low hiss that had Toothless stomping a paw and screeching. 

“Whoa,” Hiccup couldn’t help but breathe, crawling out from Toothless’ attempt at caging him and standing up to stare at the new dragon. Night Furies, he knew, were a rare species of dragons - they were more partial to the south so almost none were where Berk had resided. But he knew that realistically there had to be more, maybe even flocks of them, because there was no other way Toothless would be there beside him. Yet to find one so quickly, and without effort on his part! It was enough to have him grin madly and hold back his giggles of delight. 

“Toothless, stop it!” He scolded when Toothless thrust his snout forward and gave a low growl at the highly tense dragon. Hiccup gave Toothless a reassuring pat on the nose and said, “stay here, bud. It’ll be okay, I promise.” 

Toothless, of course, would absolutely not have it - he clamped his teeth on the back of Hiccup’s tunic, shaking his head in a vehement no and even raising his wings a bit. 

Hiccup merely rolled his eyes and tugged his shirt away, smoothing down the fabric before giving Toothless another scratch underneath the chin. “It’ll be _fine,_ Toothless. Now don’t follow me, okay? Look - the poor thing’s scared to death because of you.” 

Toothless made a heavy grunt and glared at Hiccup, and it was obvious that he was saying something along the lines of, _it_ should _be scared of me, you idiotic human. If you go, I’m going to chew your leg._

“It’ll be okay,” Hiccup repeated, and finally, very, very reluctantly, Toothless tucked his wings back in and bowed his head in submission. He still snapped his tongue when Hiccup gave him another rub and slowly approached the other dragon, but other than that, he stayed in his spot. 

“Hey there,” Hiccup murmured in what he hoped was a soothing voice. The Night Fury before him had several differences from Toothless, he realized. For one, even while it was bigger, its ear flaps were rounder, softer in appearance - its eyes were a deep, emerald green, and when it unsheathed its claws in warning, they were a light gray color rather than the jet black that were Toothless’. 

“My name is Hiccup,” he continued to say quietly, stopping about ten feet away and then dropping to a sitting position on the sand. He ignored the feeling of grains crawling into his shoes and said, “and that over there is Toothless.” He pointed behind him, and Toothless let out a short snort before flopping down onto his paws with a glum look. 

Hiccup rolled his eyes and said, “he’s just being a big baby. So, uh, how’d you get here? You know, Toothless and I come from a place called Berk, it’s pretty far away and honestly you should be glad you’ve never been, vikings are a lot of things but bath-takers are not one of them.” 

On and on he rambled, hoping to convey a sense of gentleness and lack of aggression, and thank the gods, it seemed to be working. Slowly, the dragon lowered its wings and started to lie ever so gently on the sand, watching him with wary but curious eyes. It seemed startled when he sneezed, but after realizing that it wasn’t something meant to be offensive, it even let out a small chuff of laughter. 

Finally, Hiccup thought to himself as he kept inching closer and closer to the dragon. It’d been slow-going, enough for him to feel sweat pool at his collarbone from the heat of the sun and for his voice to start going hoarse. But it was all worth it, especially when the Night Fury didn’t seem too against his not-so-subtle movements. 

He stopped when he was a mere foot away from the dragon’s snout. 

“You’re beautiful,” Hiccup murmured more to himself than it as he observed its scales and the way they shined dully in the light. It let out a huff of hot air when he tried to get closer, and its dilated pupils quickly became slits in warning. He knew a line when he saw one, so he pulled back and merely smiled at the dragon. 

After a moment, it calmed down and began to lick at its paws, seemingly losing interest in the human and instead far more invested in washing itself. 

Hiccup had to laugh. 

It wasn’t perfect, but he hadn’t been blasted to bits, so it was certainly a start. 

It was a great way to start the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't going to write this fic mostly because it was just a joke when i posted that thing on tumblr, but then it blew up and people asked me to do it, so i caved and did it anyway lol
> 
> this story will focus a lot on hiccup's personal growth from boy into man, as well as his lessons of becoming a dragon rider. if you want to name the new dragon then please leave a comment or something in my tumblr inbox! i don't know what to name it so it's up to you. if no one gives a good enough name then i'll just toss a coin and be done with it 
> 
> follow me on [tumblr](http://redyarns.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/redyarns_)!


	2. Chapter 2

“Aha!” 

Hiccup’s momentary lapse of triumph was over when the bird he had been trying to catch chirped almost mockingly at him, just out of reach of his trap. He stuck his tongue out when the bird turned its tail on him and then fluttered away. 

He groaned from his crouching position and then stood up straight, rolling his shoulders and wincing whenever there was a pop. He glanced behind him and said, “you know, you _could_ be helping me.” 

The two Night Furies gave no response - Toothless was far too interested in mauling the Hel out of a certain tree, gnawing on the bark and growling with satisfaction. The other one - who was dubbed Clawless due to her back left leg missing a claw (who was decided a girl, simply because Hiccup was too afraid to check) - licked at her paws, occasionally flickering Hiccup a bored look. 

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “Two of the deadliest dragons in the world and they’re lazier than a bucket of fish.”

He sighed and sat down between the dragons, stretching out his legs and enjoying the feel of expanding his muscles. It didn’t really matter they weren’t helping, they were both avid and incredible hunters when they wanted to be, so food wasn’t really the problem. Besides, what he had really been aiming for was the interaction between him and Clawless. 

Even though she stuck around for the past five days, she was still shy or cautious of them. She hadn’t let Hiccup come more than within a foot radius of her, and anytime he tried, she growled in warning. He really didn’t want her to fly away (or for him to lose a limb), so he always relented and went back to entertaining Toothless. 

Still, despite the slow progress, it was worth it. After all, she even responded to her name now, pricking her ears up whenever he called for her attention. The downside was that she and Toothless didn’t like each other. At all. Seriously, Hiccup was half-afraid that one day he’d come back from a small trip into the forest and see them wrestling on the sand. He had a nagging feeling that he was the only thing keeping them from shooting blasts at each other. 

Flying her hasn’t been that great, either. Like he mentioned, she was very reluctant to let him near her, and the only time he had gotten close was when she was full and sleepy from a belly full of fish. He knew she was at least curious - everytime he mounted Toothless to go for a small scouting, she always tilted her head and eyed the complex saddle set-up with a reluctant yearning. 

He wasn’t sure it’d be possible at the moment, anyway. When he had tried to remove Toothless’ saddle so he could fit it onto her, Toothless threw an actual tantrum, twisting his body this way and that while letting out shrieks of indignation. So, that’s one plan out the window. 

Hiccup scratched at his chin before getting up and giving Toothless a nice little pat behind the ears, grinning when the dragon purred and pushed out his paws in a lazy stretch. Hiccup’s grin grew even wider when he saw Clawless staring out of the corners of her eyes, trying to seem subtle but obviously failing. 

“Do you want a scratch, Clawless?” Hiccup said sweetly, emphasizing his point by rubbing Toothless’ neck even further and making his purring grow louder. Clawless slowly turned her head and eyed them with a look that Hiccup interpreted as, _I wish I didn’t but I do._

“That’s it, girl…” He murmured soothingly as she heaved herself up onto her paws and slinked over to them slowly. She gave Toothless a little sneer, a sentiment he sent back, but otherwise left the dragon alone as she cautiously crept forward and sniffed Hiccup with interest. He tried to hold back a laugh of excitement, because she was closer than ever now, and he could feel her little puffs of breath as her nose came closer and closer to his outstretched hand. 

Very slowly, the tip of her snout touched the palm of his hand, and through that small touch, Hiccup released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. It was just like how he felt when he and Toothless first touched - warm, his heart pounding loudly, and his brain shocked with the amazement that anyone could ever think such an incredible creature were mindless killing machines. 

He started to rub gently, and very reluctantly, she began to purr, starting small at the base of her chest before growing louder with every movement of his fingers. 

“There we go,” he couldn’t help but grin. This was _fantastic._ It was small, but it was a start - a bond was forming between him and Clawless and he couldn’t be more thrilled. After all, what better way to promote peace than showing that two of the deadliest dragons could be so calm? Not to mention it was just awesome to bond with her in general. She was so docile compared to Toothless, who was a tornado at best. She was also quieter, only ever making noise if Toothless aggravated her or Hiccup called for her. 

There was just something so _fascinating_ about her. He’d been trying to study her, to learn about the differences between a male and female Night Fury, but about her personality in general. For one, she seemed to prefer woodland creatures for dinner rather than fish like Toothless, and she was great at hunting. Despite her larger size, she was also stealthier, as Toothless often got too excited and simply attacked the animal while she relied on pouncing and silence. 

“We’re going to be great friends,” he promised her, and Clawless blinked slowly like she was saying, _if you say so._

Of course, Toothless, the great big baby he was, shoved his nose in between them and let out a growl that Hiccup knew meant _stop petting her and give me scratches._

“Oh my gods, are you jealous?” Hiccup laughed, but he complied anyway, tickling the Night Fury under the chin and giggling when he let out a loud purr of pleasure. 

This led to Clawless knocking her wing at Toothless’ head, who then ripped himself away from Hiccup with a threatening growl and slitted pupils. Clawless sneered, an unimpressed look on her face as she spread her wings and showed her very much larger wingspan. 

“Whoa, whoa! Uh - guys - okay, yup, it’s flying time!” Hiccup said frantically, standing between the two glaring dragons and raising his arms up in an attempt to stop them from possibly lunging for the other’s throat. Clawless was the first to relent, swiping her tongue across her lips with an unimpressed look on her face before she flicked her snout up in what was obviously a haughty dismissal. 

Toothless barked in fury. 

“ _Toothless,_ " Hiccup stretched out, and yes, it was a little whinier than he’d like to admit, but it was successful in getting a reluctant Toothless to tuck his wings back in and scuff the sand with his paw and a gloomy look on his face. 

Clawless let out a breathy chuff of amusement, looking smug when Toothless snapped his jaws at her. 

“Can you two stop fighting for at least ten minutes?” Hiccup grumbled, but he still tossed them two fish that had been waiting in a bucket of cool sea water. The dragons eagerly jumped up and grabbed them from the air, Toothless even doing a little twirl and landing neatly on his feet. “Show off,” Hiccup scoffed, secretly impressed. 

Toothless merely preened in delight before crouching in his regular _let’s go flying!_ position. 

“You’re awfully demanding today,” Hiccup said, but he mounted him anyway, foot immediately clicking into the stir-up and his head turning to make sure the artificial fin was responding correctly. Just as Toothless was spreading his wings, however, Hiccup kept a firm hold and said, “hold up, bud. I said let’s fly, but not just _you._ ” 

Toothless made a noise of disbelief as Hiccup grinned at a curious Clawless. “C’mon, girl, don’t you want to come, too?” 

Her pupils dilated as her rump wiggled in the air before she carefully smoothed down her excitement. It was obvious that she was trying to appear dignified, but the slight lolling of her tongue and the way her body kept squirming told him that she was ecstatic. 

_Ugh,_ was what Toothless’ groan sounded like. Hiccup had to laugh as the Night Furies both spread their wings, looking quite ridiculous compared to the white sandiness of the beach, and they launched up into the sky. 

“Yeah, baby!” Hiccup couldn’t help but yell when they broke through a cloud and a layer of dew covered his hair. Toothless was going fast, faster than he usually would, and the reason was clear as to why - Clawless, because of her bigger wingspan and also her greater amount of grace, was looking quite at leisure as she went a speed that left Toothless a little behind. 

“Guys,” Hiccup groaned, but it was useless. 

Toothless let out a screech, and judging by how Clawless’ head jerked back with narrowed eyes, it was a noise of competition. 

“Oh boy,” Hiccup muttered, and they shot off like the wind, chasing each other and roaring whenever the other played too roughly. Clawless was obviously teasing Toothless, often letting her tail tickle the very tip of his nose and then pulling away before he could land a bite. She chuffed deeply with laughter, even letting the other Night Fury give her a good slap with his wing. 

Eventually, Hiccup managed to corral them into a somewhat decent flight pattern, though it was often accompanied by them growling and yipping at each other. It was like he had two children, honestly. 

But they had reached what he’d been aiming for, so it was okay - just below the circling dragons, if Hiccup squinted, he could make out a small group of houses at the base of a small hill. A village, just what he needed. He was running low on some things, plus he was hoping to ransack the place a little bit and pluck some loose change. After all, he was probably branded as an outcast by this point (ouch), and he was still in the north, so people were bound to recognize him as the (ex) heir to Berk. 

“We’ll give you a nice new saddle, princess,” Hiccup said fondly to Clawless, smiling when she refused to let him touch her but allowed her snout to bump gently against his shoulder before she glided farther away to avoid Toothless’ slapping tail. 

(It was like a _you-can’t-touch-me-but-I-can-touch-you_ kind of thing, apparently, but he wasn’t going to complain.)

He and Toothless had been scouting this particular village for the past few days, often circling overhead and then getting just a little closer to observe everything. From what Hiccup saw, there was a forge (thank the gods) that he could sneak into and dig around for a few things. Not too much, but enough to keep him sustained for a bit. There was even a seamstress there, which had been a delightful surprise, considering that he’d been slowly constructing a plan that involved a lot of sewing. 

“We should go down there,” Hiccup said, adrenaline and giddiness pumping through his veins as they all glided just above a layer of clouds. 

Toothless immediately gave a low grunt of _no._ Clawless didn’t look that much agreeable either, shaking her head and then making a chirp while looking pointedly back in the direction of their little island. 

“Guys, it’s just a little exploration,” he said, trying to let his voice be as pleading and convincing as possible. “We’ll be careful - _ouch!_ ” He rubbed the side of his face where Toothless whacked him with an ear flap. “Okay, fine, _I’ll_ be careful. I’m not that clumsy, you know!” 

He got another ear whack. 

Clawless didn’t hesitate to voice her own feelings, giving Hiccup a look as if to say, _you’ll die in two minutes and you know it._

Okay, so, maybe he wasn’t the greatest at being the most stealthy or quiet; he was terrible at hunting and always managed to create far more noise than necessary while moving as slowly as possible. Plus, they were in broad daylight at the moment, and no doubt the villagers were already wary after seeing ominous black shapes swooping above them for the last few minutes. 

Not to mention they were still a little too viking for his taste. They were out of reach of the dragon raids, but last Hiccup checked, their armory was big and the people looked like they could snap him like a twig if they really wanted to. 

But no one ever said Hiccup wasn’t stupid at times, so he impatiently waved off the Night Furies’ concerned warbles and said, “look, I promise that I won’t get us killed, _and_ I promise to give you both belly rubs when we get back to camp.” 

That seemed enough for Toothless, who was a glutton for Hiccup’s tummy rubs and was now eagerly flying with his wings stretched wide and jaw open slightly. Clawless took a little more convincing, but after he coaxed her with a swear of belly scratches _and_ rabbits, both dragons were then racing to the other side of the island and descending rapidly. 

Despite the very steep dive, Hiccup and Toothless were as seamless as ever, landing neatly on the forest ground with the tall trees providing sufficient coverage. Clawless was quick to follow, a condescending purr in her chest when she landed even more gently than Toothless did, hardly making a noise and then tucking her wings back in one swift movement. 

Toothless snorted and gave his paw a lick in a poor attempt to hide his jealousy. 

“You two stay here,” Hiccup said, patting himself to make sure he had his dagger (can’t be too careful) and then giving scratches to the both of them. “Do _not_ follow me, okay? Stop looking at me like that, I know you can understand me.” 

Toothless dropped his look of confused innocence before chuffing poutily and sitting down. Clawless merely tipped her head to the side before giving Hiccup a look. _I don’t like this idea._

“It'll be fine! You both worry too much.” 

_Because you’re clumsier than a hatchling._

“Hey! I resent that.” 

_If you don't come back soon, we’re going to hunt you down._

“... Duly noted. Aaaand I’m talking to a dragon, I’m insane,” Hiccup muttered to himself, stretching out his spine and rolling his shoulders. Even if he was just translating their small actions and expressions in his head, he had a good idea of what the small whines they both gave meant - _stay safe._ “Hey, hey, don’t worry! Look, how about this - if I need you, I’ll whistle, okay?” 

Toothless gave an offended noise, head jerking up and glaring at Hiccup while Clawless cooed. “I know, bud, but Clawless can save my butt and set things on fire if needed, right, girl?” As if on cue, the female Night Fury arched her wings into the air and showed off how much bigger she was than Toothless. She furthered her point by unsheathing her wicked sharp claws. 

Toothless snorted and flicked his tail dismissively while glaring at Hiccup sulkily. 

“Sorry, bud,” Hiccup muttered. “I know it sucks but if I call for her, we’ll get right back and we can all leave.”

Toothless licked Hiccup’s cheek, making the boy groan in exaggeration while flicking away the slobber that covered his skin. 

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised, giving Toothless a last scratch that had his back leg twitching and Clawless even reluctantly licking his chin. Hiccup laughed, tickled her behind the ear, and then disappeared into the underbrush. 

It was a slow progress to the village - out of his fear of the dragons being discovered and killed, he had landed them on the farthest point of the island away from the town, but maybe he could’ve been a little more adventurous and landed closer because _Odin above_ this was taking him so long. The terrain was uneven and littered with natural debris, so by the time he reached the edge of the town, he was sweating and his feet almost numb from the ache. 

“Okay, time for a plan,” he muttered to himself as he approached a large boulder and hid his small frame behind it. It was high enough that they wouldn’t see the top of his head as he peeked over the top. He observed below him, trying to take note of everything. 

The villagers puttered around, oblivious to their observer, chattering amongst themselves and seemingly all in a good enough mood. Hiccup squinted his eyes and mentally pumped his fist when he caught sight of the forgery - it was empty, with no smoke coming out or the lights even turned on. He’d been taking note of the villagers’ cycles and habits, and if he was predicting this right, the blacksmith wouldn’t be in for at least another hour. 

It was the first time in his life that Hiccup thanked the gods for making him so small. It was easy for him to slip into the shadows, hiding behind houses and trees and slinking around to none the wiser. It seemed that spending so much time with Night Furies had paid off somewhat - at least he wasn’t tripping too much over his own feet, though he did stumble over a rock and nearly blow his cover completely. 

Woops. Maybe he really _should_ start training himself, because just one wrong move would put everything at risk. 

Okay, _focus,_ Hiccup, now’s not the time to get distracted! He was near the forgery now, and he was close enough that he darted to the back door and yanked it open to slip inside before anyone could see. For a moment, he stood there in the forgery, breathing in the familiar smells deeply. It hasn’t been that long since he left Berk, but the regular stuffy heat and smell of heated metal had been the one place he felt at home. Gods, he missed Gobber. 

Oh, Thor’s hammer - he was getting carried away by his memories. He couldn’t afford to keep looking back at the life he had abandoned and revoked, not when it was such a crucial time right now. 

“Sorry,” he whispered to himself, praying that the gods would carry his apology to the blacksmith so it’d at least help the guilt Hiccup felt as he swiped a few tools, and after a little digging around, even found some rolls of leather he could use as both a way of carrying things and also material for Clawless’ saddle. He stuck the tools and small bits of metal he stole into the folds of the leather, patting it before slipping out of the door once more.

Next for some needle and thread. 

It wasn’t as easy this time - the seamstress was a wise woman, locking the door with a locket that he couldn’t hope to break. Luckily, Hiccup was a quick adapter, so using a wooden chip off an old house to pick the thing open only took a few minutes of panicking and quiet swearing. He also said a quick apology to the gods once more while he swiped up a few things, tucking them into the rolls of leather and then leaving as soon as he could. 

But as luck would have it, fate decided to have a quick laugh and decided that while it was a little too easy to get in the village, it would be far harder to get out. 

The sun was higher up now, which meant that more and more people were waking up, banging open windows to let the breeze in while yelling at each other from across the street to say their hellos. As such, the place was crawling with more vikings than Hiccup was comfortable with, and he eventually hovered between two houses, hoping that the darkness was enough to cloak him as two vikings on a stroll stopped right in front of him and continued to talk in hushed tones. 

“... oor man’s son ran away, din’t he? Right coward, he is.” 

“Aye, he better pray that the gods kill ‘im quickly. Thor, I wouldn’t even think of my son runnin’ away…” 

“Oi, you’re talkin’ too loud.” 

“Oh. Sorry, Skullhead.” 

For a moment, they went quiet, clearing their throats and trying to look inconspicuous as they fiddled with their spears before returning to their conversation at a lower tone, unaware of the boy who was huddled behind them and looking at them with wide eyes along with a held breath. 

“So what’re they sayin’?” 

“About the boy? Hel if I know, only heard from some drunk that’s been to Berk recently - “ 

Hiccup couldn’t hope to stop the gasp that escaped his lips at the call of his home. He slapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late, and the vikings were whipping their heads around and gaping at the huddled boy just behind them. 

“Oi!” 

“You little eavesdropper - _come back here you damn runt!_ ” 

“Dammit, dammit, dammit,” Hiccup cursed as he darted away, boots pounding the ground hard and his arms holding tightly onto the leather. His hopes of getting away were getting slim now, the villagers alarmed to see a small boy running through their streets with two enraged vikings going after him, and judging by the sudden looks of shock and recognition, he’s just been matched with the very subject of the gossip that’s been going around about Berk’s heir. 

His suspicions had held true, much to his distress - he wasn’t far south enough, and Berk’s reputation and rumors had reached this town’s ears. 

“That’s him!” 

“Thor almighty…” 

“Get back here, boy!” 

“It’s him, it’s Stoick’s boy!” 

“Nevermind that, idiot, he’s a damn thief!”

The leather was heavy in his arms, and even though he was fast, he was also too out of practice to escape the growing number of vikings waving their fists and throwing rocks at him while others tried to swipe their hands towards his clothes or arms. A growing sense of panic was starting to choke his lungs - he couldn’t lead them to the dragons, and he doubted he could even run that far without tripping or exhausting himself out. 

He thought furiously, and when he skidded past the large boulder from before and entered the forest, it hit him. He could use this land to his advantage, and - he looked over his shoulder - the vikings that were chasing him weren’t armed other than their angry expressions, and in their rage they were shoving and tripping over each other in their haste to get him. 

Lucky for Hiccup, he had kind of memorized the path he already walked through, and was able to dodge most of the low-hanging branches and even jumped over a fallen log. But this was too slow, too exhausting, and their adrenaline was only fueling them more, and _oh geeze_ that guy almost caught him if it wasn’t for Hiccup ducking just in time… 

_Desperate times call for desperate measures._

Hiccup brought his hand to his mouth, took in a deep breath, and whistled as loud and shrill as he could. 

The sound of his whistle was enough to make everyone stop and hesitate, enough for Hiccup to tug the leather to his body closer and enough for him to turn around and grin. His expression only unnerved them only more, their sudden fear stopping them from trying to grab for him again, because he knew that _they_ knew what that whistle had been - _a call for help._

For a moment, it was silent. 

Then a high-pitched noise filled the air, shrill and sharp, a sound that could only be made by something snapping through the air so fast it hammered against the wind. While it brought relief to Hiccup’s face, the vikings that had been so angry were now pale rather than ruddy red with their contempt, and they began screaming. 

“A dragon!” 

“Odin’s ghost - _IT’S A NIGHT FURY!_ ” 

“You guys might want to get down!” Hiccup laughed over their shrieks and the loud whistling that only a Night Fury’s wings could make. He grinned madly at them, knowing that they thought he was insane when he just stood there proudly and said, “she’s a little angry right now!” 

As if on cue, a blast of white-hot fire and plasma shot at the ground right in front of a man’s feet. He stumbled back wildly, pushing into his fellow vikings and then practically throwing himself onto the ground with them as something big and black slashed through the air above them. The flames had been a warning shot, and they seemed to know it too, because Night Furies never missed. 

“Hey there, princess,” Hiccup muttered soothingly when Clawless, in pure Night Fury fashion, finally landed with a dramatic thud, her wings spread high and wide, her pupils narrow slits, and her growls making the vikings cower on the ground. 

Clawless arched her neck gracefully to glare at the vikings before dipping her head and allowing Hiccup to gingerly climb onto her neck. It was strange, especially since he was too used to a saddle between him and smooth scales - not to mention he had never flown with Clawless before, but it seemed that in the precarious situation her aloofness had been thrown out the window. 

“You’re workin’ with the damn devils,” a man - he was the one from before, Skullhead - whispered, jaw clenched hard but his eyes watching them fearfully. 

Hiccup rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. “You vikings, always so quick to point fingers. How about getting your heads out of your asses and actually _seeing_ for once?” 

“You’re riding a _dragon,_ ” he continued to say, Hiccup’s words flying over his head. 

“Nevermind,” Hiccup scoffed, and Clawless leveled herself from her crouch, her dark eyes probably more than a little intimidating as she scanned the vikings with a look of ill-covered disgust. 

Hiccup patted her on the neck, and as she began to spread her wings, he winked at the gaping villagers before saying, “I’ll be back someday, and when I do, be prepared to do _this._ ” 

“Do wha - GET DOWN!”

The sound of Clawless launching herself into the sky wasn’t enough to drown out Hiccup’s laughter and woops. They circled around the village a bit, enough for them to spot Hiccup on Clawless’ back and to point and scream. They were too high up for anything to hit them, and they all knew it, so they could only watch as this presumably insane boy and outcast of Berk rode on the neck of one of the most fearsome dragons vikings have ever seen. 

“Thanks for coming for me,” Hiccup said, rubbing a hand fondly on Clawless’ head. 

She scoffed and gave him a small flick with her ear, but her croon was affectionate. _You’re an idiot._

“My name is Hiccup!” He shouted at the top of his lungs while Clawless roared her agreement. Hiccup, he repeated to himself in his head - Hiccup, but not Hiccup Haddock, because that name meant ties to the viking life that he had cut the moment he left Berk. It was like a great anchor had been lifted from him, his shoulders loose and his heart free, and he couldn’t help but let out another laugh. “And I am a dragon rider!” 

Dragon killer was such a well-respected and well-rounded name throughout the different tribes of vikings, but a dragon rider? Unheard of. Blasphemy. _Impossible._

But that was all they needed, Hiccup knew. He had planted the seeds of curiosity in their hearts, no matter how guarded and how bloodthirsty they may be, and for now, that was enough. 

“Let’s go back to Toothless before he has a heart attack,” Hiccup laughed, and after a final ground-shaking roar, Clawless climbed the air until there was nothing but small dots for houses and even tinier dots for men. 

“It’s a start,” he whispered to himself. 

And they had such a long ways to go, but he was more than willing to go along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> her name's clawless cause hiccup thinks he's funny like that and wants to be somewhat consistent with the names
> 
> also he doesn't really know if she's a girl or not, but he just dubbed her a female cause he can and no one can stop him
> 
> clawless is playing hard to get but it's kind of obvious she likes hiccup lmao
> 
> follow me on [tumblr](http://redyarns.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/redyarns_)!


	3. Chapter 3

Astrid woke up smothered in at least two thick, wooly blankets that weren’t appropriate for the lightly chilled season of autumn. But as she lied there, eyes blinking up at her ceiling and her loose hair spilling around her like waves, all she could feel was the cold. It was almost like she was surrounded by ice, all the way from the tips of her fingers to her toes. 

She sat up and rubbed a hand up and down her arm, feeling goosebumps as she raised up her knees and rested her head on them. She shivered in the warmth of the room, trying so desperately to curl up in herself and give her some type of heat and failing miserably. 

“Astrid?” 

The young viking rubbed tiredly at her exhausted eyes before swinging her feet over the side of the bed and grimacing when she ran a hand through her greasier than normal hair. She tossed a piece of it over her shoulder, realizing that it’d been a few days since she took a bath, even though she trained and worked so hard the past week that the amount of sweat would normally force her to bathe near daily. 

“There you are, lass,” Astrid’s mother spoke gently, maternal love shining on her face as she laid a hand on her daughter’s face and gently stroked a thumb under her eyes. Ingrid frowned at the bags upon Astrid’s face, and she said, “you’ve been overdoing it, dear. Have you been sleeping?” 

“Yes,” Astrid lied, the falsehood falling off of her tongue faster than she could stop it. She didn’t bother to fix it with the truth, and instead, smiled thinly at her mother and asked, “is the tub free?”

Ingrid didn’t look satisfied with her answer but pulled back nonetheless. “Aye, your father just cleaned it.” 

Astrid nodded, pushed past Ingrid gently, and began to stroll down to the kitchen where the tub was with firm steps. 

“Astrid.” 

The teenager stopped at the call of her name, and she looked over her shoulder to see Ingrid standing outside her half-opened bedroom door with a heartbroken look on her face. Astrid swallowed when her mother walked forward and leaned down to press a kiss to Astrid’s forehead, just like she used to when she was still just a child and got the flu or lost her favorite toy axe.

“Take it easy, lass,” Ingrid muttered against her daughter’s skin, her large hand smoothing down Astrid’s hair and then dropping loosely into the air. “Please, you worry your father and me.” 

For a moment, Astrid leaned into her mother’s kiss, her heart pounding loudly and the smallest amount of warmth filtering through where Ingrid touched her. But it faded away as quickly as it had come, and soon, Astrid felt as cold as ever, her nightgown feeling like nothing more than air and almost as if she was stark naked out in winter. 

Astrid pulled back, tried to smile at her mother, and then went downstairs to take a bath. 

The water was cold, but she didn’t care, because against her icy skin it felt like fire. She was quick in scrubbing her hair and cleaning her body, and soon she was dried and dressed and braiding her hair with quick and nimble fingers. 

“Eat something,” Ingrid urged, beckoning her to the table and pushing a bowl of soup and some bread to her. 

The bread was freshly baked and the soup still steaming - Astrid knew that her mother was one of the best cooks in the village, sometimes even asked to cook in the Great Hall for her stupendous dishes. Astrid could remember how months before she’d been so eager to eat whatever Ingrid cooked, convinced it was the best thing in the world, grinning as her parents kept feeding her more and more so she was at her best strength while in dragon training. 

Yet when Astrid took the warm bread and took a bite, it was almost like ash, her taste buds rejecting the food and the soup even more disgusting, the taste resembling more like water than anything. 

She finished quickly, pushed the empty bowl back, and grabbed her axe beside the door before fastening it to her back. 

Just as she reached for the door, she heard Ingrid sigh, and say, “will you come home early today? You’ve been so different ever since that boy’s been gone, Astrid. Take a break.” 

For a moment, Astrid didn’t say anything. Then without another look back, she grasped the handle, swung open the door, and said, “I have so much work to do.” 

Indeed, she had a lot of work to do. Astrid immediately headed to the forest first, and after getting in deep enough, she began throwing and hacking her axe at the trees, gritting her teeth and getting more frustrated with every gash that littered the wood. 

It was here in this forest that she felt most herself again. It’s been a week, only a week, and already she was falling apart faster than the crazy inventions that Hiccup - 

Gods. Gods, her mother was right. Of _course_ her mother was right, and Astrid knew it. All of this, her excessive working, it was all tied to that boy. She wanted to be furious at him, to curse him for making her feel like there was a bottomless pit in her stomach and the warmth all sapped out of her. But she couldn’t, because he was gone, gone, _gone_ \- 

With every mental repeat of the word, she swung her axe, splinters flinging around her and flying into her hair and onto her clothes. She couldn’t care less. Hel, she couldn’t even be _mad_ \- not at the debris, but the fact that despite her grievances and complaints and _everything,_ she still couldn’t force herself to be angry with Hiccup. He’d been a nuisance, a pest, but _dammit_ he didn’t deserve to be outcasted like that! 

Not when he’d been so kind, and quiet, and left his father more shattered than glass. Like it or not, the boy had been future chief, and Astrid had secretly been eager to see him grow up and become a proper viking. She’d been ready to lay down her life for him and swear her loyalty to her, but now she _couldn’t_ , because he was out there and probably already dead. 

She should have tried harder, she realized. She should have pressed more, pressured him to train with her, force him to follow her into the woods so they could talk and spar and for her to shape him faster into a man that she would be proud to call her chief. He’d been her responsibility! Ever since she had caught sight of the sniveling little boy when they were mere five-year-olds, she had vowed to begrudgingly look out for him, especially since she knew he was so fragile and Stoick was so not. 

She’d failed Stoick. She’d failed _Hiccup._

And now, here she was, sweating profusely yet feeling colder than ever, her village slowly falling apart because of an absent and distant chief, and, as much as she hated to admit it, _she_ was falling apart. She missed him. Godsdammit, she missed the little idiot, who she had been so carefully looking after and taking care of. All those times she stopped Snotloud and the twins from bothering him, the hints she kept dropping for him to toughen him up, they were memories that made her throat close up because he could _die_ out there. 

He’d been the first friend she ever made and the first friend she ever broke, but there’d been something special about him that no one, even her, seemed to realize. Berk was quieter now, devoid of accidental explosions or shouts of apologies ringing right after. There was no booming laughter as Hiccup told his jokes and everyone reluctantly listened, there was no _anything._

Astrid strapped her axe to her back, observed the mutilated trees, and marched out of the forest to head to Gobber’s forge. 

The familiar sounds of metal clanging and a stifling heat greeted her when she slid into the building and began to take off her shoulder armor and dropped her axe into a corner. 

“Mornin’,” Gobber greeted, but his voice was sullen, his face focused on the sword in front of him and his hammer banging on it rhythmically. Sparks and embers flew around him, but they only served to bring even more light on the sad look he had along with the dark bags under his eyes. Seems Astrid wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep these days. 

Astrid made some sort of noise for a hello before she walked over and took an apron from a hook on the wall. She tried her best to ignore the smaller brown one right next to hers - she could practically see Hiccup running around in that little apron of his, sharpening her axe and babbling incoherently while she tried to not let her endearment show through her expression. But now, it was untouched, and the last person who had tried was nearly decapitated by Gobber. 

Astrid tied her apron around her waist and immediately set to work. She weighed metals and carefully wrote down specific numbers, taking care to make sure it was all neat and legible. She tried hard not to look at the other pages of the journal, the loopy handwriting she recognized as Hiccup’s almost taunting her and making her unwillingly remember how fast he could write yet still be precise with his words. 

It had been a surprise to almost everyone save her when Astrid volunteered to help Gobber out at the forge. Almost everyone had been against it, claiming that she should focus on her future as a warrior and that she was already too busy as it is. But that was why she asked - she _needed_ to be busy. 

All those nights spent in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep were all because she was alone with nothing but her thoughts. Sitting here in the forge made her think, it gave her brain and her hands to do something and be hard enough that she didn’t wander into the guilt and _what ifs_ of Hiccup’s disappearance. 

She could still remember the rage and jealousy she had felt when he had been declared as the one to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, but now, she wished she could go back in time, clobber herself, and warn her to make sure Hiccup stayed. Because that was the last memory anyone had of Hiccup - someone who was gifted the honor of such a prestigious task and ran away because of his cowardice. 

But to Astrid? It only served to remind her of the haunted look in his eyes, the terror he had when Gothi declared him the triumphant. 

Astrid could feel the guilt curl in her stomach now, the envy long gone and instead replaced by her endless beratement of herself. She should have trained harder, she should have beat Hiccup, she should have tried better to protect him and keep him from being shoved into something he clearly had not been ready for. Countless times she asked herself if she had run a little faster, swung a little harder, or reached out a little better, then maybe Hiccup wouldn’t have run away and be labeled as Hiccup the Coward. 

He was a coward, fine. Astrid didn’t care. All she wanted was for him to be back home, safe and sound, out of reach of the dangers beyond Berk’s island. How would he survive on his own? He was so small, so skinny that Astrid had often made remarks about it in order to subtly nudge him to eat more. He had no motor skills whatsoever, and she feared that his clumsy self would get him killed faster than a Night Fury flies. 

She spent the next few hours like that, from noon to dusk as always, her arms moving like clockwork and the only noise being Gobber’s constant hammering and the small sounds of her writing down in the journal with her charcoal pen. 

Every now and then a viking would come in and try to make small talk with either of them, but Gobber always answered with short one-word answers while Astrid refused to talk altogether. Eventually, that person would leave, but not before shooting them both pitiful looks. 

Astrid wished she had enough anger to try and throw her axe at them, but she never did, because she feared that pulling away for even a second would take her away from one of the small connections she had with Hiccup. She didn’t have a brain like his, no one did, and not even Gobber could make sense of the piles of drawings and diagrams he left behind in his little work space at the back of the forge. But what Astrid could do was write, weigh these metals, and put on an apron. 

It was small, but it was enough, and by the time she slipped off her apron and put it back on the hook, she had a small smile on her face while waving goodbye to Gobber. 

She had one more stop before going back home, but before she did, she stopped by the Great Hall and swiped a few loaves of bread while avoiding eye contact with the other teens. She let her feet lead her to the largest house in the village that sat higher than any other building. 

Astrid rapped the door with her knuckles twice, and after a long moment, there was a grunt of acknowledgement.

Stoick the Vast sat in front of his fireplace and looked up when Astrid shut the door behind her. He offered her a small smile, one she returned, before she placed a piece of bread in his hand and curled his fingers around it. She knew that he hadn’t been eating that well - there was a certain gauntness on his face despite the fact that he hadn’t lost any weight. 

Astrid settled herself beside her chief and hugged her knees to her chest while she took smile bites of her own bread. The fire was roaring and proud, but no matter how close she got and how smaller she made herself, she didn’t feel any warmer than she did that morning. It was the same with the forge - she’d been in a place that was meant to be hot, almost overwhelmingly so, and she had indeed sweat greatly, but the heat of her face didn’t at all help the cold that made her smiles wane and her guilt greater. 

“How are ye doin’, lass?” 

Stoick’s voice was grave and low, rumbling from his chest as he finally lifted the bread to his lips and took a hefty bite. 

Astrid cleared her throat, rubbed her hands together in hopes of heating them up, and said, “I’m doing alright, sir.” 

It was a lie and they both knew it, but it was also a lie that they both shared and understood. So they sat there, the crackling of the fire and each other being their only company for each other. 

Astrid shivered, hands huddled close to her, and she couldn’t scoot closer to the fire without getting burned. She was just so damn _chilly,_ and the worst part was that she never used to feel like this. She couldn’t ever remember this, the cold that had somehow seeped into his bones, never relenting or giving her a break. The only time she could recall that let her actually feel _something_ was when her mother kissed her, but that was it. 

“He loved the bread from the Great Hall,” Stoick suddenly said, and Astrid looked up to see the great viking sagging in his seat like he was nothing more than a pile of something limp and sad. His voice was rough, and in that moment, Astrid knew that he, just like her, wanted the little fishbone to return more than anything. “Always grabbed too many. How he could eat that much and not shoot up like a weed, I don’t know.” 

“Yeah,” Astrid whispered, remembering how Hiccup always disregarded the fish or the meat and instead heading straight for the loaves of bread. He always took more than she thought he would need for himself, and assumed that he had been either sharing them with his father or simply feeding them to the sheep. Evidently not, and the idea of Hiccup stuffing bread in her mouth piece after piece was enough for a spontaneous smile to appear on her face. 

“You sure you alright, dear?” 

“Huh?” 

“You’ve been shiverin’ something strong for a while.” 

“Oh,” Astrid whispered, drawing her shoulders in and staring at the fire in front of her. It was hard to explain, as things always were these days. It wasn’t something that she could ever truly describe, but it was like an ache, like the cold went far beyond her skin and instead touched the deepest parts of her soul. She just hurt all over, but it wasn’t physical, yet it was. 

Again, she wished she could blame Hiccup. She remembered how warm he had made her feel - warm when he was being especially endearing, like if he was babbling his head off or taking care of the sheep with a small smile on his face. Warmer when he sharpened her axe and then gave it back to her with a shy smile, wishing her luck with her training and saying she was the best out of all of them. Red hot when he was being annoying, destroying watch towers and beating her in dragon training, but far better than the numbness that seeped into her bones now. 

There were so many things she wanted to say at that moment. Her grief of letting him be driven into the ground so hard, her anger at him for running away, her anger at _herself_ for letting him think he could run away in the first place. But this was Stoick, her chief, the one she would always fight and stand for despite how broken he was now. She couldn’t speak of Hiccup, at least not now, not when for once they had reached peace and were eating bread together. 

So instead, she pulled as confident of a smile as she could on her lips, and said, “it’s nothing, sir.” 

She rubbed at her hands, her fingertips icy and her soul even icier. 

“I’m just cold.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually wasn't going to add a berk perspective or even have a lot of hiccstrid involved. but i did because i'm the writer
> 
> astrid isn't in love with hiccup, but she did care for him greatly. she just had a very poor way of showing it, just like stoick did, and ended up unintentionally hurting him more than she did help him
> 
> to be more clear, hiccup was labeled as an outcast for supposedly running away and leaving a note behind to confirm his cowardice. of course this isn't true but you know vikings, they're hardheaded lmao
> 
> follow me on [tumblr](http://redyarns.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/redyarns_)!

**Author's Note:**

> i wasn't going to write this fic mostly because it was just a joke when i posted that thing on tumblr, but then it blew up and people asked me to do it, so i caved and did it anyway lol
> 
> this story will focus a lot on hiccup's personal growth from boy into man, as well as his lessons of becoming a dragon rider. if you want to name the new dragon then please leave a comment or something in my tumblr inbox! i don't know what to name it so it's up to you. if no one gives a good enough name then i'll just toss a coin and be done with it 
> 
> follow me on [tumblr](http://redyarns.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/redyarns_)!


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